Abstract
Laughing gulls Larus atricilla were observed feeding on diseased shrimp Penaeus vannamei during an epizootic of the Taura syndrome virus (TSV) at a south Texas farm in May 1995. Eresh fecal samples were collected from a gull roosting site on a pond levee where gulls that fed on diseased shrimp had roosted overnight. The feces samples were tested for the presence of TSV by injection bioassay. A cell-free clarified homogenate of the fecal material was injected into indicator P. vannamei. and the shrimp were observed for 9 d. Cumulative mortalities of the two replicate groups of indicator shrimp were 45'# and 7O'/i. Moribund indicator shrimp collected and preserved for histological examination exhibited lesions pathognomonic for aculc- phase infections by TSV. The presence of TSV in the induced lesions was confirmed with in situ hybridization with cDNA probes specific for a portion of the TSV genome. The presence of infectious TSV in the gulls’ feces supports the hypothesis that these birds are a probable transport vector of the virus within and among nearby shrimp farms.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 156-159 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Aquatic Animal Health |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science